Marketers at the Mentholatum Co. ached for a way to vividly show consumers how to use three new varieties of Migraine Ice cooling headache pads. They found relief in a colorful paperboard carton that uses a substantial portion of its front panel to show a consumer finding fast pain relief by applying a pad to his or her forehead, temple or neck.

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Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. is starting off summer 2000 with a ‘pop.’ In a unique promotion aimed at the consumer’s need for instant gratification, Coke will be giving away millions of dollars that can be retrieved simply by popping off the fake top of special cans.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) issued its long-awaited proposal for national standards on organic foods on March 7. Outlawed for foods bearing the “organic” label are use of genetic engineering, sewage sludge, irradiation and antibiotics in organic livestock production.

Comprehensive federal regulation of food biotechnology makes it unnecessary for states to mandate label copy on biotech-derived crops and would only lead to a “confusing patchwork” of regulations, said Lance Hastings, director, state affairs, Western region for the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) at a California Senate hearing.

The current controversy over biotech foods may prompt some manufacturers to make nonbiotech food claims. Speaking at a March meeting sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a GMA spokesperson said guidelines for voluntary nonbiotech claims are needed to ensure that the claims do not mislead consumers about the composition, safety or quality of the labeled food or falsely imply that other products are less safe.